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West Flanders brews up fine grub

By Liz Moskow Camera Dining Critic

Posted:
03/21/2013 06:48:48 PM MDT

Updated:
03/22/2013 08:29:42 AM MDT

West Flanders is not playing a name game. Actual spent grain is blended into the Spent Grain Bourbon Meatloaf, which is served over grilled bread with bourbon-red pepper sauce, onion straws and mashed potatoes.
(Mark Leffingwell/Daily Camera)

In a place like Boulder, tenets of ecology and sustainability hang thick in the air like clouds of pot smoke. They seep in unsuspectingly, like a contact high, eventually becoming second nature. Before you know it, you're biking to work, composting or buying a Prius. Additionally, the "Eat Local" movement, which, by default, also encompasses "drinking local," is strong. And why wouldn't you "drink local?" It not only prevents you from drunk driving, it saves gas and limits pollution.

Consider taking your local drinking and dining to West Flanders Brewing Co., where chef Jamie Lucas takes sustainability one step farther. Rather than sending pounds of spent grain -- used during the brewing process of West Flanders' ales, pilsners, porters and stouts -- to the landfill, he ingeniously uses it to add a creative touch and distinctive flavor to various items on the food menu.

Creating beer-forward cuisine, Lucas uses spent grain to bind the Spent Grain Bourbon Meatloaf and as a crunchy coating for a crab cake. Whether eating these dishes on their own or enhancing them with one of West Flanders' 10 signature brews, you can actually detect toasty tones of cooked caramel and subtle notes of nuttiness.

The Spent Grain Crab Cake, a substantially sized patty made of jumbo lump blue crab, grain mustard and a melange of chopped herbs, comes perched on a bed of lively greens. This appetizer portion is plenteous enough to share or to serve as a main dish for a light lunch. Enhanced only by a squeeze of lemon, the crab cake, with the gentle sweetness of its spent grain crust, could be enough to please most crab cake aficionados. But there's more. The cakes are flanked on the oblong platter by a duo of rambunctious dipping sauces -- a fresh basil aioli and a house-made cocktail sauce; those seeking a 1-2 punch to the kisser should divide the cake in half, assigning an equal portion of crab cake to each deserving sauce.

Dishes at West Flanders that don't use spent grain are still thoughtfully created to pair well with beer or have beer in the recipe. Rather than a typical brewpub-style menu made up mostly of fryer-basket specials and burgers, West Flanders surprises with a varied and often up-market menu. You can still get sliders, burgers, spinach and artichoke dip and other bar standbys, but you'll also find a charcuterie plate, salmon and crab meat with bearnaise sauce and even an arugula and quinoa salad. Additionally, many grain-free features are prepared gluten-free.

Everyone knows beer and pizza go together, but did you ever envision having your brew with a Fig and Sausage pizza? You can at West Flanders.
(Mark Leffingwell/Daily Camera)

One of the more upscale dishes on the menu, Wild Mushroom and Pancetta Risotto, arrived like a platter of springtime. More like a garden-fresh vegetable paella than a soupy-style risotto, spears of pencil-thin asparagus, seared quartered button mushrooms, chunky -- albeit slightly gummy -- lardons of pancetta and fresh baby spinach leaves outnumbered grains of arborio 2-to-1. A fragrant mushroom essence wafted from the whole parmesan-topped affair.

Proving it can still provide for those whose primary purpose for visiting is to grab a pint, West Flanders has a host of simple snacking fare to bolster and fortify bellies gettin' their brew on. House-made pretzels, brushed with butter and christened with kosher salt, come with a choice of Trippel, honey or yellow mustard dipping sauce. Brushed with butter and christened with kosher salt, these stone-ground wheaty knots will not only line your belly, they'll make your mouth happy in the process. Don't expect any pullback from your bite, though, as these soft-style knots are more tender and have less fight in them than, say, a New York-style street pretzel.

Also try the Herb Bacon Dip, which certainly is not upscale but definitely a hard-working offering. Whipped cream cheese is imbued with bacon essence and crumbles. The smoky, decadent dip can be scooped up by house-fried, thick-cut potato chips, veggie sticks or herbed pita triangles. Try this dip with a pint of West Flanders Woodshed Smoked Porter for a real pairing treat.

If you order the Wild Mushroom Burger, expect to use a knife and fork. Served on a brioche bun that easily disintegrates, this compilation of juicy, grass-fed beef, melty gouda and drippy wild mushroom ragout tastes great. But it doesn't deliver on a true two-fisted, burger-eating experience, as it falls apart at the first attempt to lift it from the plate to your palate.

The brewery's environs haven't changed much since BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse left the building. A few small updates to the basic brewery interior have been made. The vibe comes more from the heavenly barley and malt aroma than from the decor. Brewing tanks, plumbing and taps are featured more prominently than the beer-centric art on the walls, which is fine, but you feel somehow as though something is missing.

Service is spotty, though kind and apologetic when it comes. Hostesses are absent, and the wait staff is difficult to flag down. All this would somehow seem more tolerable if the brewery just served basic fare -- pickled eggs, bags of chips and the like -- but it seems West Flanders is aiming higher into gastropub territory.

West Flanders has been open only six months, so I don't believe it has found its stride yet. But with a bit more attention to service and a few decisive choices on direction, I'm confident that it will. Anchored by a solid offering of Belgian-style beer created by brewmaster Brian Lutz and the beer-centric menu of chef Lucas, seasoned restaurant veterans Mark Heinritz, Chris Heinritz and Barry Wolfman of The Sink are sure to provide Boulder residents with another great option for both eating and drinking locally.

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